CONFIRMATION that Boris Johnson was to become the next Tory leader struck a hefty blow to Jeremy Hunt and his loyal band of supporters – many of whom had accompanied the MP for South West Surrey on his 5,000-mile odyssey across the length and breadth of Britain seeking to win over Tory voters.

However, there are three people at the very heart of Mr Hunt’s camp for whom defeat has a silver lining: the politician’s young children Jack, Anna and Eleanor.

Mr Hunt has been a cabinet minister for every minute of their young lives. And, although it was still unknown whether Boris would give him a role in his cabinet as the Herald went to press, it was clear that Mr Hunt was not entirely unwelcoming of a spell on the backbenches.

“Whatever the future holds, I’m completely relaxed,” he told the Herald. “If I end up going to the backbenches, that means more time with my three gorgeous children who haven’t seen very much of me for the last nine years.

“I would like to be a good dad, and so I’d be happy to have more time to spend with them. But if Boris wants me to play a key role alongside him then, of course, I would do that too.

“I’m not someone who wants a job for the sake of it. I’ve had a very good crack of the whip and if Boris doesn’t want me in his top team, then I’m a big enough boy to know that.”

Mr Hunt added he was “very proud” of the way he conducted his campaign, and takes great solace from the fact he won the support of a third of the Conservative Party – not least great backing from his home constituency.

“I got the most amazing support from South West Surrey,” he continued. “The numbers of emails and letters I got from people of all political persuasions wishing me success was very, very humbling.

“In the end it’s about public service and doing your best for your country. And what I tried to do was explain the difficult choices we have to make, honestly and clearly, to allow people to make up their own mind. That’s all you can do as a political leader.

“I don’t have any regrets at all. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it.”

Ultimately, Mr Hunt believes his background as a ‘remain’ voter was too great a hurdle to overcome – and backed Boris who, he said, has his “full support” to become “a great prime minister”.

Denise Le Gal, chairman of the South West Surrey Conservative Association branch, and one of those to join Mr Hunt on his travels, said she was “clearly very disappointed” by the result but was “very, very proud” of Mr Hunt, adding it had been “such a joy to see him develop and grow” during the leadership battle.